Editor's note: Enjoy today's devotion from from Song of Songs Bible Study Guide by Lisa Harper.
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He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. — Song of Songs 2:4
Sometimes the Bible can seem overwhelming.
Where do you go for words of comfort when you’re feeling overwhelmed, lost, or frustrated in life? What book of the Bible do you turn to for wisdom about the situation you find yourself in?
The Beautiful Word Bible Studies series makes the Bible come alive in such a way that you know where to turn no matter where you find yourself in your spiritual journey.
Song of Songs, sometimes called Song of Solomon, is a poem that captures a beautiful love story between two characters: Solomon and Shulamite. The descriptions in this book are pretty scandalous, as readers walk with them through their courtship, wedding day, and marriage. Song of Songs is usually reserved for marriage conferences or books about relationships. But not this time!
- Between the racy descriptions of their love and the drama of a new relationship, we find an underlying message of unconditional love.
Song of Songs is likely rooted in history and relevant for us today. It describes a very real, very intimate relationship between King Solomon and his beloved, Shulamite (although some scholars choose to teach the Songs solely as allegory). Solomon was the third king of Israel, son of King David, who led God’s people into a time of wealth, power, and unprecedented peace. We know Solomon was infatuated with love... by the end of his life he had hundreds of wives. But at this moment in history, he only has eyes for one: Shulamite.
While Solomon’s and Shulamite’s love for one another captures the history of this poem, it doesn’t give us a full picture of the meaning. Rabbi Akiva, a second-century rabbinic leader, called Song of Songs the “holy of holies” of Scripture.1 In other words, this book of the Bible is so sacred that it deserves to be set apart as such. Why? It points us deeper than erotic poetry. It points us to the unending, unconditional love of God. It shows us that
we, God’s people, are His beloved.
For Christians, when we interpret Song of Songs through the lens of Christ (also called a Christological interpretation), we find an allegory of Christ calling us His beloved. We find a beautiful poem that reflects to us the love Christ, as the Divine Bridegroom, has for us, His bride. The rich descriptions of adoration and devotion come alive and rightly situate Scripture as a divine love story, with Song of Songs expressing that love wholly.
Our invitation is to read Song of Songs both in its historical context (after all, it is an erotic love story) and through a Christological lens. And as we do, to allow Holy Spirit to probe our hearts and ask the question: Do I truly believe I am the beloved of Christ?
In Song of Songs, the rich descriptions of adoration and devotion come alive and rightly situate Scripture as a divine love story.
- Jonathan Kaplan. “The Holy of Holies or the Holiest? Rabbi Akiva's Characterization of Song of Songs in Mishnah Yadayim 3:5,” in “It’s Better to Hear the Rebuke of the Wise than the Song of Fools” (Qoh 7:5): Proceedings of the Midrash Section, Society of Biblical Literature 6, (2016): https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.31826/9781463236809-004/html.
Excerpted with permission from Song of Songs Bible Study Guide by Lisa Harper, copyright Lisa Harper.
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Your Turn
You are under the banner of God’s unconditional love? Christ calls His Bride, the church (us believers) His beloved. Do you know how beloved you are? ~ Devotionals Daily